


If I Promise This is the Last Time, Will You Forgive Me Next Time?

by shipNslash



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: 5 Things, 5+1, 5+1 Things, Ben is tired and pure, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Klaus tries okay, M/M, Prostitution, but he really loves Dave, he just... fails, so he'll try harder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 04:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18137363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipNslash/pseuds/shipNslash
Summary: Ben steps in Klaus’ path and shakes his head, eyes wide with fear that a dead person shouldn’t be able to muster up. “Please don’t do this.”“Just this once,” Klaus whispers. “I need it, Ben, you know I need it. And then never again, okay?”~Five times Klaus says he won’t do something again and ends up breaking his promise and the one time he says he won’t do something again even though he has no intention of stopping.





	If I Promise This is the Last Time, Will You Forgive Me Next Time?

**Author's Note:**

> Drugs, prostitution, dead boyfriends... just a normal Tuesday for Klaus!

 

~~ONE~~

 

It’s Diego’s idea to break into Reginald’s liquor cabinet.

“We’ll get in trouble!” Ben squeaks between Klaus and Diego, eyes wide.

Klaus snorts and hops on the balls of his feet. “Come oooooon, Ben, I’m dying of boredom here!”

Diego shushes then both. “Stay or leave, I don’t care. Just shut up,” he hisses as he picks the lock.

“We’re staying,” Klaus declares and then turns to check the door for Luther or Pogo. He winces when, instead, he sees a shadowy figure in the doorway.

She’s petite, both short and thin, and wearing a Victorian era maid’s outfit, white apron stained red with the blood pouring out from her stomach. She’s wandering around with a confused look on her face and she keeps reaching out as if to tidy up, only for her hand to pass right through all of Reginald’s knick knacks.

Ben follows his eye line and frowns. “What is it? Is Dad coming?”

“Shit, where?!” Diego bolts upright and spins. “Why didn’t you-”

“Nobody’s there,” Klaus whispers and then shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut.

When he finally opens his eyes, Diego has gone back to picking the lock and Ben has gone back to twisting his hands nervously. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

Klaus sighs and pats Ben on the back. “I just want to try it, Ben,“ he assures. “What could possibly go wrong?”

 

~~TWO~~

 

Five is... gone. Gone, gone, gone. It’s been a week since he went missing and Klaus and him were never really that close, but...

“You want me to what?!” His shriek is loud enough that it echoes throughout the mansion but Reginald doesn’t even blink.

“I said,” he repeats, voice cold. “Try and conjure Number Five.”

Klaus shakes his head. “No. No, that’s not- Dad, I can’t!”

Reginald scowls. “You mean you won’t,” he condescends.

“I- I don’t want to see my brother dead!” He shouts, hands starting to tremble. He clasps them behind his back but it’s too late- Reginald sees and his expression goes cold.

“Your fear is childish, Number Four.” His hand snaps out and grabs onto Klaus’ collar. “You will conjure Number Five this instant or you will spend the night in the mausoleum.”

His blood goes cold. “Please, no, Dad-”

He’s cut off by a shock of pain against his cheek. The smack of Reginald’s open palm is sharp and fast and Klaus hardly realizes what’s happened before he’s being dragged by the collar out of Reginald’s office and towards the back door. He digs his heels into the ground and struggles but nothing he does slows the man down.

“Okay!” He shouts when they’re halfway across the backyard.

Reginald stops and releases Klaus, causing the boy to flop to the ground. “Now.”

And so Klaus does.

He settles himself on the cold ground and closes his eyes and... reaches out. He creates them a meeting place -Five’s room, with its books and model trains- and calls for his brother with all the energy he has. He doesn’t know how long he spends there but when he finally opens his eyes again, it’s dark and Reginald is gone.

When he makes his way inside, he finds the man waiting in his office. He looks up at Klaus and his displeasure is instantaneous and obvious. “As you weren’t successful, we will try again tomorrow.”

“No. I’m done with this.” Klaus shakes his head and backs away. ”I’m never talking to a dead person again, especially not my brother.”

 

~~THREE~~

 

“Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us!”

“That’s not funny, Klaus.”

“Shut up, Ben, yes it is. Happy birthday dear superhero-turned-homeless-junkie-and-the-ghost-of-his-goody-two-shoes-brother! Happy birthday to us!”

Ben watches, face emotionless, as Klaus waves the lighter under the little spoon in his hand as if it were a birthday candle. “It really isn’t.”

“Oh, come on,” Klaus grouses without looking up. “It’s a little funny. ‘Cause, like, you’re dead-”

“I’ve noticed.”

“-and I’m a drug addict-”

“Noticed that too, actually.”

“-So is it isn’t really a happy birthday!” He closes the lighter with a flourish and grabs the needle he has prepped on the table.

Ben grimaces and shifts his non-existent weight. “And I don’t suppose I could convince you to put that down as a birthday present?”

Klaus squeezes his eyes shut. “Please don’t do this today, Ben,” he all but whispers, hands shaking as he slaps the veins in the crook of his elbow. He’s never done this before but he’s seen others do it at parties enough to know what he’s doing.

“This isn’t like the pills, Klaus!” Ben shouts in a sudden and uncharacteristic display of temper. “You’re about to shove a needle of god knows what into your arm!”

Klaus makes a ‘what can you do’ gesture and sighs dramatically. “Well, the drug dealer turned down my I-owe-you, oddly enough, so this is all we can afford. Unless you’d rather I try and steal something again?”

“You known that’s not what I meant,” Ben protests but the fight is gone from his voice.

Klaus smiles at his brother, soft and sad, and then turns his attention down to the needle. “I won’t do it again. I just didn’t have the money for the good stuff.”

When Klaus looks up again, Ben is gone. There’s no puff of smoke or satisfying pop, he just... isn’t there anymore.

 

~~FOUR~~

 

“We should leave.” Ben, perched on the hood of the Mercedes that Klaus is lounging across, looks somewhere between mildly irritated, horrified, and so, so tired.

Klaus ignores him because it’s easier that way. He scans the crowd and starts bouncing on his toes when he sees a familiar figure. “Hey! Hey, Tony-Moany,” he calls, waving eccentrically. “Hello, darling! I was wondering if-”

The man cuts Klaus off with a rough shove. “No.”

“But _pourquoi?_ ” He whines as he stumbles back a step.

Tony glares. “Because you still owe me for your last three batches?”

“Well, yeah, but- This is different!” Klaus exclaims and clasps his hands together to hide the shaking, holding them up in mock prayer. “I don’t need a whole batch, just one hit! One teensy, weensy hit!”

Tony only rolls his eyes and unlocks his car. “You’re not getting anything from me until you can pay.”

“No, no, no, no, no!” Klaus grabs onto Tony’s arm and tugs, voice pitching low and desperate.

The larger man yanks himself free. “Keep your worthless junkie hands off me,” he snarls, face twisting in anger.

“Please! Please, Tony!” Klaus presses himself between the dealer and the car door and has to squeeze his eyes shut to hold in the tears. “I need a hit, man! You know I’m good for it!”

Ben’s head falls to his hands. “Klaus, please-”

“The only thing you’re good for is ODing and owning money,” is Tony’s response, lip curled up and eyes hard.

Klaus winces and tries to hide it with a smile. “That’s not fair, Tony-Moany!” He jokes and wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m good at lots of things.” And then, as if to prove his point, he makes a cartoonish slurping noise and winks.

It’s the same joke he’s made a hundred times but instead of snorting and rolling his eyes like people usually do, Tony’s head tilts to the side and he eyes Klaus with sudden interest. After a brief moment, his scowl drips away and is replaced with a smirk. “And how badly do you want a hit, Klaus?”

“Wait, hold on-” Ben doesn’t even get the chance to fight for his case.

“Bad, I want it bad,” Klaus all but moans. He steps away from the car and places his hands on Tony’s chest and looks up from under his Lash-Out coated eyelashes. “If this is what you wanted, you could have just said.”

Tony smirks again and if it’s a little mean, Klaus convinces himself not to see it. “Get in the car,” he commands, quickly groping Klaus through his skinny jeans before prodding him towards the passenger door.

Ben steps in Klaus’ path and shakes his head, eyes wide with fear that a dead person shouldn’t be able to muster up. “Please don’t do this.”

“Just this once,” Klaus whispers and steps around his brother. “I need it, Ben, you know I need it.”

And then he’s tucking himself into the little sports car and smiling flirtatiously and running a shaking hand up Tony’s thigh.

 

~~FIVE~~

 

Dave is... beautiful. He’s the most beautiful thing that Klaus has ever seen and he’s somehow still interested in them being- well, ‘an item’ is what he calls it, which Klaus finds so charming it sends his common sense packing. If he had to complain about one thing, though, it’d be...

“You used again, didn’t you?”

Klaus peaks an eye open to find Dave standing over his cot, face stricken. “How’d you- Why d’you say that?” He slurs, pushing himself onto his elbows.

“You aren’t looking at anything,” Dave whispers and settles down onto the ground, propping his chin on the edge of the tattered mattress. “You only look at nothing when you’re high.”

Klaus blinks heavily and shrugs. “It’s been two days since you got your hands on weed or booze, Davey, I just needed something to- to take the edge off.”

“You can’t keep stealing, Klaus!” Dave hisses, little wrinkle forming between his eyes.

Klaus reaches out and smoothes away the stress line with a soft finger. “Don’t be like that, sugar.”

Dave rolls his eyes. “Don’t try and sweet talk me,” he scolds gently, nipping at the pad of Klaus’ finger.

“Only if that means it’s time for dirty talk,” Klaus murmurs. “What’a ya say? You, me, and the back of the supply van?”

Dave huffs a laugh but shakes his head. “This can’t keep happening.”

“Really?” Klaus puts on a comically confused expression and tilts his head to the side. “‘Cause I thought our sex has been rather good-” He’s cut off by Dave’s gentle hand over his mouth.

He’s silent for a moment and when he speaks, it’s so soft that Klaus can hardly hear him. “The drugs. It’s different when you’re smoking or drinking but the morphine- Klaus, that’s...” He trails off and sighs before pressing a quick kiss to the same finger he’d nipped at.

“I...” Klaus blinks and wills away the tears in his eyes. “I love you, Dave. If it’s what you want... I’ll try to stop.”

Klaus loves Dave more than anything. If he had to complain about one thing, though, it’d be that he still believes Klaus, even when it’s obvious that he’s lying. It turns out that it’s a lot harder to lie to somebody who actually trusts you.

 

~~PLUS ONE~~

 

It takes two weeks for Klaus to conjure Dave. Two weeks of being dope sick, of sweaty skin and pounding head aches and twitching, trembling hands. He’s ready, though, he knows he is, when he effortlessly summons a meeting place- the bar where they first kissed. All the details fall into place naturally; the smoky air, the scuffed tables, even the creaky audio of the speakers spewing psychedelic rock.

When he has the meeting place cemented in his mind, he stands and spins, bare feet catching on the sticky floor. “Dave!”

“Klaus?!” Across the dance floor, a shadow solidifies into a familiar shape and within moments, the two men are embracing. Dave squeezes Klaus tightly and peppers kisses along his hairline before pulling back, face creasing in sadness. “What... what happened, baby? Why are you here?”

The slimmer man sways forward and tucks his head into Dave’s shoulder. “I’m looking for you. I’m sorry it took me so long, Davey, I just-” He cuts himself off and smiles, estatic with relief.

Dave doesn’t look as happy as Klaus thought he would, though. He frames Klaus’ face with his large hands and shakes his head. “Please don’t tell me- Klaus, baby, you didn’t- How’d you die?”

“I’m not dead, Dave,” Klaus breathes, kissing Dave’s wrist.

Dave squints in confusion. “Then why are you here?”

“I’m only here to see you,” Klaus explains, voice breaking a little. “I can’t stay, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

A series of expressions quickly flutter over Dave’s features before he settles on grim determination. “Klaus, if you’re alive, you need to leave.” He strokes his thumb across Klaus’ cheek quickly before stepping back. “You don’t belong here. There’s a life you should be living, I don’t want you to be hung up on some dead man.”

“You dont-? What? Davey, I love you.” Klaus stumbles forward into Dave’s arms and the other man takes his weight like it’s second nature.

“Forget me, Klaus,” he commands, expression stricken and serious. “Go find somebody alive, somebody who can give you the life you deserve.”

Klaus wants to scream. He wants to shout about what he’s gone through the past two weeks trying to get to Dave, about how he’s the only person who he could ever love- but he doesn’t. Instead, he holds out a hand and nods.

“Okay, Davey. Just- dance with me, okay? While I’m here? And then I’ll go back to the land of the living.”

Dave looks reluctant. “And you won’t come back? You’ll let me go?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you go.”

If there’s one thing Klaus loves about Dave, it’s the way he lets him lie.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you!! Comments appreciated!


End file.
